Monday, January 28, 2013

Colour Finds

July in Vermont, Wolf Kahn, 2012

For the second week of my on-line course, we are asked to find artists who push the boundaries of colour. My first find is Vermont painter Wolf Kahn. If you just do a Google search for his images, you will be rewarded with bold and vibrant examples of unusual colour combinations. His work is carried in Montreal by Galerie de Bellefeuille, so I have been able to see his oils and pastels "eyes-on", and they are breathtaking.

Tropical Morning, Joen Wolfrom, 2006

My second find is Joen Wolfrom, quilt artist, teacher and author of several wonderful books on colour. Her website links to her colour blog with its in-depth discussions on the topic. Wolfrom's career has been built on the subject of colour, and she is recommended reading.

Spontaneous Combustion, Helena Scheffer

My third find is my friend Helena Scheffer, whose work can be found at the Canadian Guild of Crafts in Montreal. Helena's abstracts are "colour explosions", made with small bits of brilliantly-coloured fabric, held in place under a layer of tulle and heavily stitched. She is a true colourist, and her work is well worth a look.

Does this mean I will be using bold hues for my class assignment this week? Probably not. In keeping with my recent cityscapes, I hope to explore the complementary qualities of warm and cool neutrals. While I love to see bold hues used skillfully, my preferred palette these days is more subdued. Let's see what I can do with the complexities of beige and grey!